Graduate student prizes have been presented since 1967, the inaugural year of the Canadian Meteorological Society. In the early years (1966 to 1976), the Graduate Student Prize, as it was known, was awarded for work in meteorology.  Thereafter, it was awarded for work in meteorology or oceanography.

The Tertia M.C. Hughes Memorial Graduate Student Prize was first awarded in 2000.

In 2008, the two awards were merged.
 

Nominations are to be  received no later than 15 February by the Awards Coordinator at e-mail: awards-coord@cmos.ca or the Society postal address to be considered by the selection Committee. 

1. Nomination letters should include the current title, full address and phone number of the nominee.
2. An up-to-date CV and a summary of the candidate's work must be included.
3. The nomination should be accompanied by (at least one and at most four) additional letters of support indicating the extent of influence of the candidate's work.
4. Nominees in previous years who have not received awards may be re-nominated. All criteria provided above apply to re-nominations.
5. The Committee has a policy of automatically considering nominations (kept on file) submitted the preceding year , without the need for re-nomination documents. Nevertheless, nominators are strongly encouraged to re-affirm and/or update these nominations.
6. Electronic format (e.g., pdf) is preferred; however, hard-copy material will be accepted.
7. Receipt of submissions will not be acknowledged unless requested. Acknowledgement when requested will be by e-mail

The following are extracts from her biography.

Atmospheric and ocean scientist, extraordinary graduate student. In 1989, Tertia was awarded an Honours BSc in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Ottawa, with great distinction. She also won the science faculty's silver medal for academic excellence, given to the student with the top marks in all areas of science.

In 1987 and 1988, she worked with Dr. Michel Leclerc at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Eau (INRS) of Université du Québec. Tertia arrived at McGill University in 1989 holding an NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) postgraduate fellowship, after refusing a McGill Women's Centennial Fellowship because she felt that gender discrimination should never be a factor in academic achievement. She studied numerical methods in atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

In 1992, Tertia moved to the University of Victoria's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences to continue her PhD studies. With support from major national fellowships, Tertia examined ocean circulation and atmosphere-ocean interactions, completing her thesis in 1995.

In January 1996, Tertia moved to Princeton University to work with Prof. Jorge Sarmiento. She immersed herself in her new job with the same enthusiasm, energy and dedication that she had shown in her graduate and undergraduate days.

Upon hearing the news of Tertia's death in 1998, the response from scientists around the world was overwhelming. Because she died so young, her further successes were lost and will be missed by the world scientific community. The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) has named its Graduate Student Prize "The Tertia MC Hughes Memorial Graduate Student Prize" in her honour.

The Prize includes a financial award from contributions received from friends and CMOS members. The first award was made at the 2000 CMOS congress in Victoria, B.C.